A Handful of Lightning
by Zoet Hart
Summary: Sharon has been trying to keep her guard up, to not make the same mistake twice. She's been playing it safe. But with Brenda, playing it safe is the hardest way to play the game. Brief mentions of Rusty, Jack and Andy, and quite a few of the clichés for this pairing also make an appearance.


"Sharon, you should know by now that I'd do anything you ask. Anything."

Brenda's voice sounds oh so suggestive in her ear but Sharon hesitates. They are in her apartment, in the living room, which is not good. Rusty could come home. Sharon wishes this didn't always happen with Brenda but it does; her usually ever-present common sense flies straight out the window. And it's not as if this has never happened to her before, it has, his name was Jack, but it's a lifetime ago and she'd forgotten how draining it was.

Sharon needs to think and Brenda is placing soft wet kisses on her neck but Rusty does not need to see this, see her cheating, and they are still in the living room, necking as if she's forty years younger than she is. "Brenda."

Brenda lightly bites the joint of her jaw and a chill runs straight down to Sharon's clit. Oh no, Sharon thinks and makes a decision. "Brenda bedroom." She sounds more urgent than she had intended but there's more than one kind of frustration in her voice. She had promised herself she wouldn't do this. Not without first breaking it off with Andy. Not that she thinks that's going anywhere but before it died from lack of spark, she had thought it would have a better chance at success than this does. Because a mistake like Jack is not a mistake you make twice.

Sharon follows Brenda off the couch, into the bedroom and when she closes the door behind her, she's glad for the privacy but knows it's relative. Rusty will know as soon as he sees the two glasses on the living room table, the bedroom door closed, Brenda's big tote still next to the couch. He'll know. It might take a moment for the clues to click but he'll know. Brenda has turned to face her and softly, almost gently pushes her against the door and presses her lips against Sharon's. They're soft, they're pliant and she can almost feel her heart shiver, and God she doesn't want to feel this weak.

Moving forward aggressively, Sharon pushes her tongue into Brenda's mouth and swallows the moan, grabs her sides, feels the ribs underneath her fingers and pulls her body closer. And Brenda follows, her hands soft on Sharon's shoulders, fingers dipping down to her clavicles, tracing them lightly. "You want to be in charge?" Brenda asks, breathless and looking up through her lashes. "You can be in charge."

Of course I can, Sharon thinks testily, I _am_. She silences her with another kiss. Everything about Brenda's body feels familiar, tastes familiar in a way that is making Sharon wetter and wetter. She can feel herself swelling against her underwear, the seam of her pants pressing into her as she lets her palms slide over Brenda's hardening nipples. "Take it off." Sharon pulls a little on the shirt. The over the knee skirt, in a hideous tan color, she wants to keep on Brenda but her breasts she needs to see and kiss, now. "Now Brenda."

Brenda has to bend backwards to have enough room to pull the shirt off, because Sharon is not letting her go. Sharon is in fact rubbing their bodies together, giving herself friction where she needs it. The shirt lands on the floor, and her hands immediately go to Brenda's back to open her bra and make it disappear. Sharon bends down to press her face against those big soft beauties, fill her mouth, but her glasses are in the way and she feels like a clumsy teenager. It sets her teeth on edge and with one arm around Brenda she walks them past her dresser, dumps her glasses and pushes Brenda against the opposite wall.

"Sharon," Brenda whines impatiently. She's so typically Brenda that Sharon forgets her thoughts and goes back to kissing her. It feels good to fondle Brenda's breasts, their warm weight, their softness, Sharon feels like pushing her through the wall. The restlessness of Brenda's hands on Sharon's back is distracting Sharon a little but it's also winding her up, telegraphing Brenda's desire to take charge, and her willingness to let Sharon lead anyway.

Biting down Brenda's jaw to her long, beautiful neck, Sharon uses enough teeth to make her gasp but not enough to hurt. Brenda is single and beautiful and here, wanting and panting in Sharon's bedroom and if Sharon feels like leaving marks all over her, she is going to. Hiking up the ugly tan skirt, she rakes her nails roughly but not meanly, up a muscled thigh and Brenda opens her legs without further prompting. Her underwear is cotton as it often is with Brenda, unless it's silk, and at the moment it's wet cotton. Finding her so obviously aroused has stopped surprising Sharon quite a while ago. They both want this. Now Sharon enjoys rubbing her fingers over her, enjoys watching Brenda bite her lip in an effort to stop herself from demanding things. Instead Brenda makes little sounds in the back of her throat and tries to hold herself still as Sharon rubs her through the cotton and watches her.

"Beautiful. You are beautiful," Sharon says softly, and she is. Blonde hair in unruly locks over her shoulders, lips parted, breathing hard, with pleasure all over her face, breasts bare, and muscles visibly trembling, and that ugly skirt. Brenda's resolve breaks and she moans as she presses down onto Sharon's hand, unable to hold still any longer. Sharon pulls Brenda's underwear down and lets it drop to the floor. She puts her hand on Brenda's thigh, slides it down to lift her leg up and wraps it around her hip to give herself better access.

"Can we lie down?" Brenda pants. "I don't think I can-"

"Yes, you can," Sharon interrupts her decisively. She keeps her hand on the soft thigh at her hip and with her other hand she cups Brenda's naked sex. This moment is still so thrilling, being allowed to touch her so intimately. She cannot get enough of this, groans and has to catch her breath at the feeling of Brenda's wet soft flesh against her fingers.

Brenda is holding onto her shoulders now with both hands. She gasps, fingers digging in. "Sharon. Please."

Gently, Sharon gathers as much wetness as she can and spreads it. She's not going to go in, not today. Brenda likes both, can come either way and the puffiness of her lips is feeling so good to Sharon, the little swollen clitoris hard and sensitive to her light touches. She slides the hand that is on her thigh a little closer to Brenda's hip, moves her whole body closer, so she can help keep her upright.

Brenda's head falls forward as soon as Sharon gives more focused attention to her clit. She hides her face against Sharon's neck and Sharon braces against the sweetness of that little weight on her shoulder, the puffs of breath against her skin. She uses two fingers in a wider circle, increases pressure a little, and Brenda is moaning against her throat and hanging on with two arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders. She starts sucking on Sharon's neck, it's something she does when she gets closer to coming, and Sharon hopes distractedly that she won't leave a mark this time.

Increasing the pressure and speed of her fingers causes Brenda to curl into Sharon further, makes Brenda shake on the leg that is keeping her up. Her weight is bearing down on Sharon's hand, chasing her pleasure, her knee is giving out and Sharon feels Brenda's teeth sink into her neck, her nails into her shoulders. She's whining softly. Sharon's own fingers are probably digging none too subtly into Brenda's hip and she doesn't care. The only thing Sharon cares about is keeping her rhythm steady until Brenda comes in her arms, keeps coming until the intensity lessens and she slows her fingers until they're still against Brenda. She keeps her fingers there though, keeps the pressure, feels the last spasms. Brenda's panting is harsh in her ears.

One of Brenda's hands curls around Sharon's, presses it harder against her as she milks the last of her orgasm.

"Yes," Sharon murmurs against her cheek, "get it all."

And Brenda presses against Sharon's hand again, rubbing it strongly against her sensitive sex, shudders, and does it again and again until it's all gone and she's limp like a rag doll in Sharon's arms.

It's one of Sharon's sweetest moments. She guides Brenda to the bed, lays her down, slips her shoes off and sits down on the edge next to her. She pets Brenda's hair, runs the back of her fingers over her chest and waits.

When Brenda catches her breath, opens her eyes, she huffs and takes off her skirt, drops it next to the bed, and focuses on Sharon. Getting up, Sharon smiles, opens her jacket, slides it off and hangs it over the back of the chair. She unbuttons the tailored blouse, it joins the jacket, unbuckles her belt and steps out of her heels. She has Brenda's complete attention. The pants also go over the chair and at this point she is beyond much patience, so she just takes off her bra and slides down her underwear, lets them both drop to the floor. The air on her wet sex cranks up her arousal and it's not helped by Brenda's heavy-lidded gaze.

Crawling onto the bed, Sharon lies down on top of Brenda and kisses her. The intensity of their naked bodies together and the kissing is so good, she forgets everything but Brenda's lips, her tongue, her taste, until Brenda turns them over and wedges herself between Sharon's thighs. She kisses down Sharon's neck, bites her clavicle, sucks a nipple strongly into her mouth. Sharon arches and her hands automatically go to Brenda's back, the skin soft beneath her fingers as Brenda sucks and bites, chews loosely on her nipple. The feeling of bones and skin, the flexing muscles beneath Sharon's hands ground her in the sensations.

Brenda sits up and points between Sharon's thighs. "You never let me." She licks her lips, cocks her head, and Sharon knows what she wants, because Brenda has offered before and she's never let her do it.

"Do you think I won't be any good?" Brenda asks. She's putting wet open-mouthed kisses on the inside of Sharon's thighs and Sharon is struggling to not respond too obviously, because that's not why. It's because she has tried to keep an edge to their sex, to keep this from becoming too soft, too sweet. Sharon has just tried to keep her guard up.

"Because I think I can prove you wrong." Brenda smiles confidently up at her and all Sharon can do is shake her head. "Yes," Brenda says and bends down, softly brushes the short hairs out of the way to open her up.

Sharon moans softly. She knows she can still stop this but it is not that she doesn't want this, it's that she wants it so much. With the promise of it so near, she does not have it in her to say no, not today, and then Brenda's tongue is already on her. It's warm and wet, all over her and Sharon's mouth opens silently as her body shakes.

"Oooh!" All there is, is Brenda's soft wet heat on her, her tongue, her lips, sucking on her labia, licking inside her, covering her clit and she is not going to last.

Sharon's hands hover over Brenda's head. She doesn't want to push, doesn't want to suffocate, she just wants to feel the texture of the pretty blonde hair between her fingers. She moans louder as the pleasure rises, her body releasing itself into Brenda's focused attention. She can't stop this. Brenda's hand slides from one of Sharon thighs to her belly, to hold her down, her nails scratching her lightly as she sucks rhythmically on her clit. The heat inside Sharon swells, threatens to immolate her.

Those big brown eyes are looking up at her with a triumphant twinkle in them and Sharon's heart skips uncomfortably. Sharon doesn't want to melt but she does, she melts into Brenda's mouth, melts all over the bed, tears seep from her eyes as her heart melts all over this woman, this difficult, beautiful, terrifying woman who is making her come, come out of her body, come apart. When the last of the orgasm subsides, the first sobs come crashing in like a wave and it feels like a death and mourning. Brenda crawls up and holds her and Sharon lets her, because she has no fight left in her.

"Sharon, Sharon," Brenda murmurs. "Oh Sharon."

And the longer Sharon lies there, the sobs fading, the clearer she can feel how awkwardly Brenda is holding her, but not letting go. The stroking on her back speaks of good intent, the soft words in her ear have an edge of tension to their gentleness, but… Brenda is staying and she is more patient than Sharon remembers ever knowing her. And Sharon feels defeated. She is defeated.

"I love you," Sharon says, her voice lower, raspier.

Brenda stiffens and Sharon almost rolls her eyes but then she is pulled closer and she gets more soft kisses, sticky with come, on her cheeks, her eyes, tracing the tracks of her tears, on her nose, her lips.

"I'd do anything for you, Sharon. Anything."

And Brenda sounds so serious when she says it, that Sharon can't help but smile. A little laugh bubbles up, still sounding wet with tears. "Yeah?" she's tired but not unhappy, maybe a little relieved.

"Yes," Brenda says earnestly.

And Sharon gives in. "Okay."

Brenda is quiet but Sharon can tell that there is more, so she waits.

"Andy?" Brenda sounds unsure if she should add more.

"No," Sharon decides. "No more Andy." But Brenda still doesn't relax. "Relax. We'll figure it out as we go."

"Well," Brenda huffs, "that's very convenient." For the first time today she sounds annoyed with Sharon, and Sharon can't help the peel of laughter as it escapes. It makes Brenda pout and that makes Sharon laugh even harder.

"You have it all figured out then?" Sharon asks through some last chuckles.

Brenda rolls onto her back, away from her and Sharon leans up onto her elbow to be able to look at her face, still smiling.

"You still don't want this," Brenda states.

"I do." She is beginning to see that maybe Brenda is being patient with her in ways she wasn't aware of. They hear the bathroom door close and Sharon rests her forehead on Brenda's chest. Rusty came home. "Did you hear him come in?" She will have to talk to him in the morning.

"No." They're quiet for a moment. "Do you want me to leave?"

Sharon looks up. "No, Brenda Leigh. I don't want you to leave." She runs her fingers gently through Brenda's hair. "But you may leave if you wish."

The depth of Brenda's exasperated sigh almost pushes her off Brenda's body and then Brenda turns them over and Sharon closes her eyes against the sweet feeling of Brenda's weight on her.

"I want to stay," Brenda says against her lips, kisses her, her breath ghosting over Sharon's lips as they breathe together. "I love you too."

Brenda's exasperation, by the sound of it, has not faded entirely and it makes Sharon smile. Up this close, Sharon can see the lines around Brenda's eyes and is reminded that however this may feel, she is not forty years younger. She is not that Sharon anymore and Brenda, she knows because they talk, because she's seen it, Brenda may have made some big mistakes but she has also learned some lessons. She is not that Sharon any longer and Brenda will never be Jack.

"I would do anything for you too," Sharon states.

Brenda smiles. "I know, that's what made me fall for you."

And this time Sharon does roll her eyes.

"But I want you to know that it goes both ways." Brenda is so serious again as she says it, that Sharon believes her.

* * *

NOTES:

Title is from the song The Long Way Home by Norah Jones.  
Written for .com and their 2016 Summer of Smut.  
Prompt I stole was: "Sharon, you should know by now that I'd do anything you ask. Anything."


End file.
